Partmers of the project
About the project
The SELFIE project “Digital Schools – European Pilot Program” under the ERASMUS+ program represents an initiative of the European Digital Schools Awards to accelerate and enhance sustainable practices in digital education across European schools.
The main objective of this project was the development and implementation of a model for digital school awards through the SELFIE tool, providing schools with guidelines for successfully developing digital education practices. This new model was designed and implemented in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Serbia. All mentioned countries conducted self-assessment processes using the SELFIE tool. Schools participating in the project were encouraged to utilize this instrument, a framework for self-assessment of digital competencies in education, which guides schools in planning future activities based on assessment outcomes and provides practical goals and resources for the development of digital education.
The focus was on building an online platform to facilitate local support for each school conducting SELFIE evaluations, offering resources, online tutorials, and support for sharing experiences among schools.
The platform provides various resources and opportunities for schools to enhance their digital competencies through different online and face-to-face supports. This community connects schools with other educational professionals and resources to help them integrate digital education more deeply into their institutions.
Alongside the self-assessment, a model for the development and recognition of “Digital Schools” was developed, serving as a guide for the successful implementation of digital educational practices in schools. The key purpose of the program was to promote, recognize, and encourage effective use of technology to enhance digital education.
SELFIE instrument
The acronym “SELFIE” stands for “Self-reflection on Effective Learning by Fostering the use of Innovative Educational Technologies.” SELFIE is a free online tool that helps schools assess how they use digital technologies in innovative and effective learning. Through SELFIE, schools can review their current state of digital technology use, taking into account feedback from teachers, students, and administrators. This self-assessment process can facilitate dialogue within the school about potential areas for improvement. SELFIE also enables schools to track their progress over time.
The assessment of a school’s digital maturity is conducted in the following key categories:
- SELFIE Self-assessment: School’s self-evaluation regarding the implementation of digital technologies.
- Leadership: Integration of digital technologies into school management.
- Collaboration and networking: Measures of school collaboration and connection with other institutions and resources.
- Infrastructure and equipment: Evaluation of existing infrastructure and technological equipment.
- Continuous professional development: Monitoring of training and development related to digital technology for staff.
- Teaching and learning: Analysis of how digital technologies are applied in teaching and learning.
- Assessment: Use of digital tools for student assessment and learning processes.
Students’ digital competence: Assessment of students’ level of digital competence.
SELFIE anonymously collects opinions from students, teachers, and school leaders about how technology is used in their school. This is achieved through the use of short statements and questions and a simple response scale from 1 to 5. The questions and statements typically require about 20 minutes to complete.
Based on this input, the tool generates a report—a snapshot (or “SELFIE” 🙂 ) of the strengths and weaknesses of the school in using technology.
SELFIE is available to all primary, secondary, and vocational schools across Europe and worldwide, in over 30 languages. Any school can use it—not just those with advanced levels of infrastructure, equipment, and technology use.
SELFIE is intended solely for school use and does not collect personal data. All responses collected through SELFIE are anonymous, and administrators, students, teachers, or other staff members responding to questions and statements cannot be personally identified. Each school owns its SELFIE report, which is not shared with others unless the school decides to do so. No other organization, including the European Commission, can track responses for individual schools.
A-SELFIE - awarding Digital School
A-SELFIE was a complex project involving seven partners from five countries (Ireland, Scotland, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Serbia), one associated agency, and three associated partners.
The project aimed to promote the use of SELFIE self-assessment tools to support innovation and systemic changes in educational institutions. This was primarily achieved through A-SELFIE’s overarching goal of integrating SELFIE into a structured program for digital school awards. Prior to the project’s commencement, the use of the SELFIE instrument was sporadic among the partner countries. In initial research, Serbia reported the highest usage rate (84%), while Lithuania and Slovenia had 43% and 38% respectively, and Ireland and Scotland reported 8%.
ASELFIE aimed to contribute to and enhance the SELFIE instrument in the participating countries and other European countries interested in using SELFIE to advance digital education in schools.
ASELFIE – the “Digital School” label is awarded to schools utilizing their self-assessment framework to expand and develop digital capacities outlined in their SELFIE action plan, thereby strengthening digital capabilities within the institution through self-evaluation and school development planning processes.
The awarding of the “Digital School” label was based on five agreed-upon principles through which countries adopted a unified developmental approach to integrate A-SELFIE. The primary focus of these principles was to enable schools to recognize that they would be rewarded for their self-assessment processes and for demonstrating the achievements of their results within the process of enhancing digital education in their school.
Schools were required to provide evidence reflecting comprehensive reflection that mirrors areas covered by the SELFIE framework of digital competences. Additionally, schools were supported in aligning their development plans with key national and European policies on digital education.
Academy for Digital Schools SELFIE
The Digital Schools Academy SELFIE is an innovative initiative launched by the Institute for the Evaluation of the Quality of Education and Upbringing in collaboration with European schools from various countries, including Ireland, Lithuania, Serbia, and Scotland. This academy aims to enhance digital skills and digital transformation in education.
The main concept of the Digital Schools Academy SELFIE involves connecting existing Digital Schools, which act as mentors, with member schools. These mentor schools are recognized as leaders in implementing digital technologies in education and undergo a validation process within the framework of the Digital School – European pilot program.
Member schools are selected through a public call by the Institute, with the goal of enhancing their capacities in digitalizing teaching and using technology to improve learning and instruction. The academy enables these member schools to access valuable resources, experiences, and expertise shared by mentor schools.
Additionally, the Digital Schools Academy SELFIE promotes collaboration among schools from different countries, facilitating the exchange of best practices and ideas related to digital education. This initiative has the potential to enhance the quality of education across Europe through the integration of digital tools and pedagogical approaches.
Essentially, SELFIE Academy serves as a platform for the exchange of knowledge and experiences among schools to advance digital transformation in education and foster innovation in learning and teaching.
Partners on the project
Partners on the project were:
– Center for Educational Technology Western Balkans (Serbia)
– National Agency for Education (formerly known as ‘Center for Information Technology in Education’) (Lithuania)
– Digital Schools Company Ltd. (Ireland)
– Education Scotland (Scotland)
– H2 Learning (Ireland)
– Institute for the Evaluation of Education and Upbringing Quality (Serbia)
– Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport (Slovenia)
Collaborative partners:
– Ministry of Education (Serbia)
– HP (Ireland)
Download the Technical Report on the activities conducted within the SELFIE project - Digital School - European pilot program
